A Walk Home
by Harpy101
Summary: These are not my characters, this is not my story. This is a short walk home to the Bates' cottage.


"I like American music so much!" said Anna, as they made their way throught the dispersing crowd, "It's got so much feeling, so much movement! I've never heard anything like it,"

"I think it will change everything we hear from now on," said John, "And it does stay in your head,"

"What a nice idea that was," said Anna, smiling at her husband as they strolled down the street in the village. John stopped to glance around.

"Do you want a cider before we go home?" John only drank very occasionally, the whiskey at Christmas for those who'd passed away, a toast here and there, but mostly he stuck to water and seemed not to miss stronger drink at all. Anna liked a cider now and again, and John indulged her without hesitation.

"I do," said Anna, "Just one,"

The village pub was crowded, and not just with locals. There were a lot of strange faces tonight. As they made their way to a table they threaded through a knot of men, one of whom was red-faced and loud. He spotted Anna as they passed and nearly shouted,

"What a fine little piece!"

Anna flushed and looked at John quickly enough to catch the look he shot at the man; it was a look she had never seen before.

There was no emotion in it, no anger, no fear. It was the look of someone taking aim just before letting the arrow fly; cold, sharp and objective. Mr. Carson had once told Anna of something that His Lordship had said: that John was more likely to be an assassin than to pilfer the silver, and now Anna saw it – she saw the assassin, just for a flash.

Anna sat with her glass of cider and John's glass of water. They were only at rest for a moment.

"I'm gonna dance with that little piece," the red-faced man announced, and headed for their table. John reached across the table and carefully tipped over Anna's cider so that it dripped off the edge. Anna scooted her chair back to avoid the mess. John stood.

"I'm gonna dance with 'er," the man was at the table now.

"You won't," said John, "And you'll respect my wife,"

The man looked John up and down, "Well, you ain't gonna dance wi' her. Gimp," he spat.

"Please," said John with royal politeness and icy eyes, "Leave us alone,"

"'Please', eh?" the man turned to his friends who at this point, Anna thought it was only fair to say, appeared to be less than entertained.

"That's what I said. I've asked you to leave us alone, and to respect my wife, if you would be so kind,"

The man jerked his chin at John's cane.

"Think you'll use that on me?"

John set his cane on the table, sliding it across to Anna with a look that clearly told her to stay put.

The man now addressed Anna, "C'mere, lovely. Leave the gimp and come with me,"

"Why don't you go stick your head in a-"

"Let's talk about it outside," John interrupted Anna.

By this point an audience had gathered; people at the bar and at tables were watching.

"Outside, ya gimp? You wanna go outside?"

"Yes," said John, smiling.

"I'm gonna dance with that piece," the man said, "And you ain't gonna stop me,"

John stepped in front of him. The man shoved John, knocking him to the floor. He stumbled over John and reached for Anna, who pushed her chair back again but found herself trapped between tables. She picked up John's cane.

A hand clamped on the man's shoulder. He turned and took John's fist full on the chin, spun lightly on his toes and fell limp into a nearby table. Other patrons scattered and shouted, pints were knocked over and the man slid off the edge of the table and onto the floor.

The man's friends were picking him up. A woman at the table behind Anna nudged her shoulder. "I didn't see that coming!" she crowed.

"I did," said Anna.

"Quite a shot, Mr. Bates," one of the barmen with a towel over his shoulder had come up to observe the drunk man's friends struggling to take his sagging form out of the pub, "Do any boxing in your time?"

"A bit," John said, "I apologize for the mess,"

"Wasn't your fault, clear enough," he said, then he dipped his head toward Anna, "Mrs. Bates. Don't know where these ruffians come from tonight. Please accept my apologies,"

"Of course," Anna was brushing John's coat with her hands.

"Here!" the barman shouted to the other man behind the bar, "Give us a round, will ya?"

As they headed home Anna sneaked looks at her husband, who was as composed as always; in fact, he seemed a little lighter on his feet, a bit cheerier.

Anna said, "John?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Did you ever like fighting?"

He stopped and looked at her.

"I hope I never frighten you,"

"_Me?_" Anna laughed. "I'm the damsel you rescued. You made it clear that you had no other option, everyone saw it, and everyone would witness to the fact. And you still got to knock him out for calling me names,"

John smiled.

They walked a while.

"John," she stopped, as did he. "Were you-were you angry, once?"

"Sometimes I still am," he chuckled, "But yes, I was very angry back then,"

"How do you control it now?"

"The way I grew up, you had to hold your own or be ground into the dirt. I learned to fight and to take care of myself, early. My mother knew very little about it. I didn't want her to know. My mother's guiding philosophy was one of kindness Be as kind as you can, whenever you can, she always said, and she lived by it. And she raised me to respect that. But a young man also needs other abilities."

"Of course," said Anna, then, "And you...you developed those abilities,"

"I did,"

"You were good at it,"

"I was. I didn't start fights. But I finished them. I became a little too fond of finishing them. And then I joined the army,"

"And you met his Lordship,"

"He selected me in part because of my reputation; you need a hard man to be a bat man. You need someone who...who relishes the work, at least in part. And I did, "

"But war..." said Anna, "It's-"

"It affects everyone differently," said John, "I signed up for every challenge. I also wanted to be honorable, but-"

"But it was war,"

He gave her an appreciative look. "Yes. At times you must do dishonorable, even attrocious things, in order to fullfill your duties and do your job. Do you know who helped me?"

"His Lordship?"

"Like a brother. We were friends. He helped me understand myself, my soul. Many people would scoff at the idea that a Lord could know of such things. But he does. He understands honor and forgiveness, humanity, things I needed help reconciling. I don't know what I would be like now, but for his friendship,"

"And you made a sacrifice for him,"

"No," he smiled, looking down at his leg, "I just did my job,"

"You must have cut quite a figure back then," said Anna, "Tall, dark, anguished..."

He laughed, and she loved him for laughing, "Anguished. I _was_ anguished," They laughed together.

"And now," Anna stopped walking and he stopped to look at her, "You do conduct yourself with both great dignity and great kindness, Mr. Bates,"

His eyes lit up. "Remember the first time you ever told me you loved me? You said, 'I love you-'"

"-Mr. Bates,"

"My heart stopped. I was sure I was going to fall dead in the road and be both an embarrassment and a dissapointment to you. At the same time, I thought I had imagined it,"

"I loved you," said Anna, "Almost the minute I saw you,"

"A new world opened when you told me," he said, kissing her forehead, "It took me days to gather my wits,"

"It took you weeks," said Anna. "I might have thought I scared you off, except you never stopped being my friend, you never stopped holding a place for me at the table or standing next to me or finding out how I was, every day. You were a little shaken up. But you were still mine,"

"I've always been yours," said John. "Let's go home,"


End file.
